This encounter has certainly given me a lot of strength in the events of adversities, in events when I have hit my psychological nadir, and it has made me humble at the core in the events of joys and triumphs too. May be there is a bit of lesson for everybody in this story... May be each one of you would interprete this god like act differently...
Location: Anaga, Tenerife - Canary Islands, Spain.
A group of hikers were on their first small hike on a tiny mystical island. Temperatures were amicable in the mid twenties, ideal to miss the December cold in Belgium. The path way was steep, uneven and rocky but nothing dangerous - way too safe by any mountain standards. Yet, a few members in our group were shouting and screaming, stressing their vocal chords more than their leg muscles. Most of us busy breathing the scenic panoramic views from the heights, feeling nice breeze on the body, basking in the worthy gains for the all the enduring pains. As we were walking past the twists and the turns, the shouts and screams suddenly vanished as if the winding path would have carried a mercedez now. The sense of calm prevailed as all of us stood completely in silence, awestruck in a spellbound statue mode witnessing the miracle - god like act in front our own eyes. It made us forgot the existing breathtaking panoramic views, it made us forgot our senses for a while as all our eyes were pinned on single man - a fellow hiker scaling down the mountain in the opposite direction.
He could not watch any of us, could not witness any of the stunning panoramic views, could not sense any of the impending dangers paved in the path. Yet, he was there to feel it. He made all the effort to be there not to see it but to feel it. And, feeling the breeze, he must have experienced everything that none of us could have seen from any of our open eyes. Unfortunately, the nature has not been kind on him. Taking away 1 out of 5 senses does sound a lot cruel than one think. Fortunately though, the god equally must have gifted him with a lot more senses full of tenacity, courage and strength to overcome what he lacked. Not screaming, not shouting, resting his one hand on friends elbow and the other holding a traditional blind man's stick, he went passed us whistling nonchalantly as if the landscape was his lush green garden backdoor. Struck on one side on the wall, it took all of us a while to come back to senses and gauge the magnitude of the event. I personally was impressed by his courage, his courage to transcend the boundaries, his courage to excel beyond the ordinary, his sheer will to overcome the missing element - a deficiency, an adversity. For Hari, it was his trust on his friend that appealed the most. To me, the god like act was an exemplification demonstrating the power of an outstanding will, a proof of what Gandhi sentenced a long ago:
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will" M. K. Gandhi
Subsequently, I explored the internet finding similar heroics - god like acts of blind men. They are in plenty. Here, just listing a few:
-- Bill Irvine used a guide dog to hike the Appalachian train in 1990s.
-- Don Planner - ex-army serviceman became the 1st blind man to climb Mont Blanc via the Gouter Route on 25th June 1996.
-- Erik Weihenmayer is the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on May 25, 2001.
In fact, Erik Weihenmayer has successfully conquered the 7 summits challenge, reaching the summit of the highest peak in each and every continent. He is an author and a prolific speaker too. His videos on youtube are totally mesmerizing. I am sure you just can't stop with one:
My salute/respect to all these brave hearts...
